Buyer beware. Vehicles damaged by the effects of Hurricane Sandy arrived in the Omaha metro in recent weeks.

The KETV NewsWatch 7 I-Team found a handful of vehicles, listed as total losses and flood-damaged on CARFAX, in the possession of an Omaha car dealer. Each vehicle was originally titled to owners on Long Island in New York.

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The I-Team is withholding the name of the dealer at the request of auto fraud investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol.

They said it is not illegal to sell flood-damaged vehicles, but said it's unethical.

"In my opinion, when a vehicle is flood-damaged from salt water, it should obtain a junk title, and that should kill that vehicle, and never be back on the road," investigator Gene True said.

He said flood-damaged vehicles can appear cosmetically clean, but he said over time they rust in places most vehicles do not. And he said they suffer major electrical problems since water-soaked wires can become brittle.

"Your lights could go out, and there it is midnight, no light," he said of the potential deadly consequences.

True said flood-damaged vehicles often arrive in Nebraska with salvage titles, through large insurance company auctions. Salvage vehicles are illegal to drive on Nebraska roads.

However, "previously salvage" vehicles are legal. The I-Team learned the mandatory state inspection used to obtain that distinction is easy since the inspectors are not mechanics. They work for local law enforcement.

Jason Staley, an inspector with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, said he'd look for signs of major body damage, major missing components, or mismatched vehicle identification numbers.

Investigator True urged used car buyers to do their homework, saying they should ask a dealer to see the vehicle's title and a CARFAX report. He also said they should have a trusted, third-party mechanic inspect the vehicle before they purchase it.